MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Rafael Nadal wanted to play his last match before retiring in Spain, representing Spain and wearing the red uniform used by The Spanish Davis Cup team.
“The feeling of playing for your country, the feeling of playing for your teammates… when you win, everyone wins; When you lose, everyone loses, right? Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam championsaid a day before the end of his career when his country was eliminated by the Netherlands in the annual competition. “Sharing the good times and the bad is something different from what we experience every day in a very individual sport.”
The men’s Davis Cup, which ends on Sunday in this seaside town in southern Spain, and the women’s Davis Cup Billie Jean King Cupwhich ended on Wednesday with Italy as champions, gives tennis players a rare taste of what professional athletes in football, soccer, basketball, baseball, hockey and more are up to. others are so used to it.
Sharing a common goal, seeking and offering support, celebrating – or commiserating – as a group.
“We don’t represent our country a lot, and when we do, we want to make them proud at that moment,” said Alexei Popyrinmember of the Australian roster who will face Jannik Sinner, n°1 and Italy, the defending champion, in the semi-final on Saturday after overtake the United States THURSDAY. “For us, it’s a really big deal. Growing up, it’s something that was instilled in us. We watched the Davis Cup all the time on TV at home and just dreamed of playing for it. For us, it’s one of the priorities.”
Some players say they feel a boost of energy on the court during team competitions, which have increased in recent years, including the Laver Cup, United Cup and ATP Cup.
“You’re not just playing for yourself,” said 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, a member of Britain’s BJK Cup team in Malaga. “You play for everyone.”
There are, of course, perks to being part of a team, like the camaraderie off the court: Jasmine Paolini, a two-time major finalist, said Italian players engage in serious UNO matches after dinner all throughout the Billie Jean King Cup.
There can also be obvious shared joy, as evidenced by the big smiles and warm hugs shared by Sinner and Matteo Berrettini when they won a doubles victory together to complete a comeback victory against Argentina THURSDAY.
“Maybe because we are tired of playing alone – just for ourselves – and when we have these chances it is always nice,” Berrettini said.
From a purely practical standpoint, this format gives someone a chance to stay in an event after losing a match, which is rare in the usual win-and-advance, lose-and-go-home type of tournament.
So even though Wimbledon semi-finalist Lorenzo Musetti fell short to Francisco Cerúndolo in Italy’s first match against Argentina, he was able to cheer when Sinner scored 2-0 to overcome the deficit by winning the second singles match of the day and teaming up with Berrettini to keep his country in the draw. .
“The last part of the year is always very difficult,” Sinner said. “It’s good to have teammates to push you.”
The other side of the coin?
There can be a feeling of added pressure not to disappoint the players wearing your uniform – or the country whose anthem is played at the start of each session, unlike tournaments which run year-round.
Additionally, it can be difficult to sit on the field and defend your nation without being able to change the outcome.
“It’s really scary. …I bit all my nails during the match,” US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz said of what it was like to see teammate Ben Shelton lose in a break tied 16-14 in the third set against Australia before taking the court himself “I’m a lot more nervous watching team events and my friends play, than (when it’s) myself playing.”
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